Five Things I Would Tell Rihanna if She Were My Friend

We knew Chris Brown and Rihanna were communicating, because her producer announced on MTV that Brown was going to guest on Rihanna's upcoming single Birthday Cake.

But when Brown tweeted a birthday message to Rihanna (she's 24 today), Rihanna made their now-amicable relationship public when she  tweeted back with a “Thanks!”

And sure, that doesn't exactly constitute a love note, but please remember that Rihanna's dealing with a dude who (according to the police statement), among other things, “punched her in the left eye
with his right hand…continued to
punch her in the face with his right hand while steering the vehicle
with his left hand, [causing her] mouth to fill with
blood and blood to splatter all over her clothing and the interior of
the vehicle... placed her in a head lock positioning the front of her
throat between his bicep and forearm… causing her to be unable to
breathe….” 

]

Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault
and was sentenced to probation, counseling and community service, but I personally think his actions don't merit the kind of forgiveness that everyone has given him.

So I cobbled together a list of what I would tell Ri-ri if I met her in real life (some adapted from the Privateviolence.com site):

1. I am here to listen and support you, not to judge. As are all your fans, who look up to you. You should be a role model and be strong.
2. We're glad that you got rid of Chris Brown when you did, because no one should ever be afraid of their partner.
3. You should always feel safe from coercion, intimidation, violence and abuse in your relationships, and you should ask yourself whether letting Brown in your life again–even in small doses–sends the right signal to the man who beat you bloody.
4. Violence in relationships is much more common than you think, but it should never be condoned.
5. The delete/defriend button exists for a reason. There are hundreds of singers as talented as Chris Brown. You don't need him in your life. No, really. You don't.

See also:

• Chris Brown is a Bonafide Dick: Five Reasons Why

Like Heard Mentality on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @ocweeklymusic!